Equine diseases encompass a wide range of health conditions that can affect horses, including infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and genetic conditions. These diseases can impact the overall health, performance, and well-being of horses. Common equine diseases include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus, laminitis, and equine metabolic syndrome. Diagnosis and management of these diseases often require a combination of clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, and appropriate treatment strategies. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment options for various equine diseases, providing valuable insights for veterinarians and researchers in the field.
Momozawa Y, Terada M, Sato F, Kikusui T, Takeuchi Y, Kusunose R, Mori Y.The aim of the study was to determine parameters reflecting equine anxiety trait by comparing results obtained in a behavior test and an anxiety score assessed by familiar caretakers in response to a questionnaire. In the behavior test, horses were individually led into a novel room by their caretakers and loosely tethered to decrease excessive movement using the common cross-tying technique with two leads and breakable plastic cords. The horses initially remained with their caretaker for 2 min; the caretaker then left and the subject animal was left alone for 2 min. The latency to break the p...
Berg LC, Mata X, Thomsen PD.Cartilage-derived retinoic acid sensitive protein (CD-RAP) also known as melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA) has already been established as a marker for chondrocyte differentiation and a number of cancerous conditions in humans. Studies have also shown that CD-RAP/MIA is a potential marker of joint disease. The objective of this study was to characterize the equine CD-RAP/MIA gene and thus make it available as a marker in cartilage research and clinical studies. Gene analysis revealed that the equine gene (GenBank accession no. EF679787) consists of four exons and three introns, and the homolo...
van Brantegem L, de Cock HE, Affolter VK, Duchateau L, Govaere J, Ferraro GL, Ducatelle R.Early diagnosis and monitoring progression of chronic diseases in elastin-rich tissues, such as chronic progressive lymphoedema in draught horses and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still a real challenge in the horse. Use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect anti-elastin antibody (AEAb) levels might be useful to assess the status of such diseases. Baseline levels, representing physiological breakdown of elastin in normal horses, are not available at present. Objective: Levels of AEAb in healthy horses are generally low and follow the same age-related patte...
Coomer RP, Mair TS, Edwards GB, Proudman CJ.Incisional drainage and suppuration occurs commonly following exploratory laparotomy; any technique with the potential to reduce the incidence of this complication warrants investigation. Objective: To determine if abandoning the use of subcutaneous sutures in laparotomy wound closure is safe and whether it reduces the risk of suppuration. Methods: A randomised controlled study was carried out at 2 referral hospitals in the UK, involving 309 horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy; 150 horses underwent '2-layer' closure without a subcutaneous suture, while 159 underwent conventional '3-layer'...
van Brantegem L, de Cock HE, Affolter VK, Duchateau L, Hoogewijs MK, Govaere J, Ferraro GL, Ducatelle R.Chronic progressive lymphoedema (CPL) is a recently recognised disease of the lymphatic system characterised by lesions in the skin of the lower legs in several draught horse breeds, including the Belgian Draught hourse. Clinical signs slowly progress and result in severe disfigurement of the limbs. Ideally, supportive treatment should be started early in the disease process. However early diagnosis and monitoring progression of CPL is still a challenge. Objective: Elastin changes, characterised by morphological alterations as well as increased desmosine levels, in the skin of the distal limbs...
Boden LA, Anderson GA, Charles JA, Morgan KL, Morton JM, Parkin TD, Clarke AF, Slocombe RF.Research into risk factors specific for fatality in flat racing should be focused at a regional level as the risk factors may differ among countries and even regions within countries. Objective: To identify risk factors for fatality of Thoroughbred racehorses in flat starts on all racecourses in Victoria, Australia between 1989 and 2004. Methods: Fatalities comprised all horses that died during or immediately after a flat race or official flat trial, and all horses that were subjected to euthanasia within 24 h of an event in which an injury was sustained. The retrospective study involved 283 c...
Vercauteren G, van der Heyden S, Lefère L, Chiers K, Laevens H, Ducatelle R.This report concerns 2 horses that suffered typical clinical signs of atypical myopathy (AM) and equine grass sickness (EGS) concurrently. Clinical details and pathological lesions of the cases are described. EGS and AM are relatively rare diseases and the concurrency of the diseases in the same animals is therefore considered unlikely to be a coincidence. However, it is not suggested that the evidence shows a common aetiology but rather the existence of common predisposing causes.
Allen WR, Brown L, Wright M, Wilsher S.Previous surveys of reproductive efficiency in British Thoroughbreds included only mares and stallions standing on studfarms in and around Newmarket. The present study was widened to compare Flatrace (FR) (Group A) and National Hunt (NH) (Group B) mares and stallions on studfarms throughout England. Objective: To assess the influences of mare type, status and age, and veterinary manipulations on reproductive efficiency parameters. To compare the inherent fertility of stallions, based on singleton and twin pregnancy rates and pregnancy loss rates, in Groups A and B Thoroughbred breeding stock. ...
Nunn FG, Pirie RS, McGorum B, Wernery U, Poxton IR.There is much evidence to suggest that group III Clostridium botulinum (types C and D) are involved in the aetiology of equine grass sickness (EGS). Antibodies have been detected previously in the blood and high levels associated with resistance to disease. Specific mucosal antibodies in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are likely to be important in protection, and this study was performed to ascertain if such antibodies could be detected and if their levels were related to disease state. Objective: To develop a method for quantifying IgA antibodies to C. botulinum types C and D in the GI tract...
Muscatello G, Leadon DP, Klayt M, Ocampo-Sosa A, Lewis DA, Fogarty U, Buckley T, Gilkerson JR, Meijer WG, Vazquez-Boland JA.Infection with Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi is a well-recognised condition in foals that represents a consistent and serious risk worldwide. The condition manifests itself primarily as one of pulmonary abscessation and bronchitis, hence the terminology of 'rattles' derived from its most obvious clinical sign, frequently terminal when first identified. This review addresses the clinical manifestation, bacteriology and pathogenesis of the condition together with recent developments providing knowledge of the organism in terms of virulence, epidemiology, transmission and immune responses. E...
Daly JM, Sindle T, Tearle J, Barquero N, Newton JR, Corning S.Surveillance of equine influenza viruses has suggested that strains included in currently licensed vaccines are a poor match for those predominantly circulating in the field. Objective: To assess the ability of Duvaxyn IE-T Plus to provide cross protection against the newly evolved South Africa/4/03 (H3N8) strain of equine influenza virus. Methods: The vaccine efficacy was evaluated by challenge infection with influenza strain A/eq/South Africa/4/03 (H3N8) 2 weeks after a primary course of 2 vaccinations with Duvaxyn IE-T Plus given at a 4-week interval. The outcome of challenge in vaccinated ...
Xu Y, Jia Z, Zhou L, Wang L, Li J, Liang Y, Zhao T, Ni B, Wu Y.To warrant potential clinical testing, the equine anti-SARS-CoV F(ab')(2) requires evaluation in as many animal models as possible and a safety test in a primate model. In this study, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics, tolerance and immunity of this kind of antibody in macaques and rats. Results showed that the F(ab')(2) fragments had a normal metabolism in injected animals. The general physiological indexes did not differ between animals injected with anti-SARS-CoV F(ab')(2) or saline. However, a mild inflammatory response in local injection site and a moderate immune response against this an...
Benbarek H, Deby-Dupont G, Deby C, Serteyn D.The capacity of the two cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1beta to directly stimulate the oxidative activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils remains debated. The purpose of this study was to verify if a direct stimulation of equine neutrophils by TNF-alpha and IL-1beta was possible. Equine neutrophils were isolated from blood by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. The cell viability after isolation was >98%. The neutrophils were used at 1.25 x 10(6) cells by assay, immediately after isolation. The oxidative activity of neutrophils was measured by luminol- or lucigenin-enhanced chemilumine...
Hansen M, Knorr C, Hall AJ, Broad TE, Brenig B.The solute carrier family 26, member 2 (SLC26A2) gene belongs to a family of multifunctional anion exchangers. Mutations in the human SLC26A2 gene are associated with autosomal recessively inherited chondrodysplasias. Hence, we postulate that the equine SLC26A2 could be a candidate gene for conformational traits in horses. An equine BAC clone harboring the SLC26A2 gene was isolated. The complete 142,625 bp insert sequence of this clone was determined by transposon sequencing. Together with the SLC26A2 gene the BAC clone contains four genes, i.e. the macrophage colony stimulating factor 1 recep...
Traversa D, Iorio R, Petrizzi L, De Amicis I, Brandt S, Meana A, Giangaspero A, Otranto D.Equine cutaneous habronemosis, also known as "summer sores", is a parasitic infection caused by larvae of Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae (Nematoda, Spirurida) released by dung-inhabiting fly vectors on abraded skin, skin wounds or muco-cutaneous transition sites. Larvae induce a local inflammatory reaction characterised by itching, granulomatous, ulcerated and, often non-healing, lesions. The diagnosis of summer sores may be unreliable mainly because of the limits of clinical and microscopic examination. The applicability of a semi-nested PCR assay developed for the diagnosis of gas...
Dierks C, Löhring K, Lampe V, Wittwer C, Drögemüller C, Distl O.A genome-wide scan was performed to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for osteochondrosis (OC) and osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) in horses. The marker set comprised 260 microsatellites. We collected data from 211 Hanoverian warmblood horses consisting of 14 paternal half-sib families. Traits used were OC (fetlock and/or hock joints affected), OCD (fetlock and/or hock joints affected), fetlock OC, fetlock OCD, hock OC, and hock OCD. The first genome scan included 172 microsatellite markers. In a second step 88 additional markers were chosen to refine putative QTLs found in the first scan....
Barthez PY, Bais RJ, Vernooij JC.The purpose of this study was to determine if variation in the ultrasound beam angle would affect cartilage thickness measurement performed with B-mode ultrasonography. Transverse sections of six fresh equine middle phalanges were obtained from necropsy. Ultrasonographic images of the proximal articular cartilage were obtained in a water bath, in a plane parallel and adjacent to the section plane using a 5-10 MHz linear transducer. Static images were acquired for all six bone specimens with an ultrasound beam angle of 0 degree, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees. Proximal articular cartila...
Cassart D, Fett T, Sarlet M, Baise E, Coignoul F, Desmecht D.The morphopathological picture of a subset of equine myopathies is compatible with a primary mitochondrial disease, but functional confirmation in vivo is still pending. The cationic dye JC-1 exhibits potential-dependent accumulation in mitochondria that is detectable by a fluorescence shift from green to orange. As a consequence, mitochondrial membrane potential can be optically measured by the orange/green fluorescence intensity ratio. A flow cytometric standardized analytic procedure of the mitochondrial function of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells is proposed along with a critical...
Luckie C, Whitney C, Benoit M, Taddei L, Sukta A, Peterson J, Schwope D, Gaensslen RE, Negrusz A.Cocaine (COC) is a highly addictive plant alkaloid expressing strong psychostimulatory effect. It has no medical use in equine veterinary practice. The contamination of the environment with cocaine such as its presence on the US paper currency has been reported few times. There are anecdotal reports of low benzoylecgonine (BE) concentrations (usually much less than 100 ng/mL) being found in urine of race horses. In order to protect horsemen against harsh penalties associated with the presence of trace amounts of BE in horse urine as a result of environmental contamination, in February 2005 the...
Kirschvink N, de Moffarts B, Lekeux P.Since "free radical research" started in 1954, understanding the role of oxidants and antioxidants in physiological and pathological conditions has increased continuously. Oxidants are essentially generated by metabolic enzymes, inflammatory cells and mitochondrial electron leakage; they are indispensable for the cellular redox regulation and may, under certain conditions, have a pro-inflammatory stimulatory role. Endogenous and exogenous antioxidants counterbalance the oxidative processes and so maintain the oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium. Excessive oxidant generation or antioxidant insuffic...
Pfau T, Ferrari M, Parsons K, Wilson A.Inertial sensors are now sufficiently small and lightweight to be used for the collection of large datasets of both humans and animals. However, processing of these large datasets requires a certain degree of automation to achieve realistic workloads. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are widely used stochastic pattern recognition tools and enable classification of non-stationary data. Here we apply HMMs to identify and segment into strides, data collected from a trunk-mounted six degrees of freedom inertial sensor in galloping Thoroughbred racehorses. A data set comprising mixed gait sequences from...
Derossi R, Medeiros U, de Almeida RG, Righetto FR, Frazílio FO.The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the effects of caudal epidural administration of meperidine (MP), lidocaine (LD), and a combination of the two (MPLD) in six mature saddle horses. Horses were randomly assigned to receive three treatments (MP 0.3 mg/kg; LD 0.2 mg/kg; and MPLD: MP 0.3 mg/kg and LD 0.2 mg/kg), with at least 1 week between treatments. Drugs were injected into the epidural space between the first and second coccygeal areas in conscious standing horses. Analgesia, ataxia, sedation, cardiovascular and respiratory effects, and rectal temperature were recorded at differ...
Lian M, Warner RD, Alexander JL, Dixon KR.In 2002, West Nile virus (WNV) first appeared in Texas. Surveillance data were retrospectively examined to explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of the Texas equine WNV epidemic in 2002. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Spatial and Space-Time Scan (SaTScan) statistics, we analyzed 1421 of the reported equine WNV cases from six contiguous state Health Service Regions (HSRs), comprising 158 counties, in western, northern, central and eastern Texas. Results: Two primary epidemic peaks occurred in Epidemiological (Epi) week 35 (August 25 to 31) and Epi week 42 (October...
Wittwer C, Hamann H, Rosenberger E, Distl O.Heritabilities were estimated for osteochondrosis (OC) in fetlock and hock joints and palmar/plantar osseous fragments in fetlock joints of South German Coldblood (SGC) horses using Residual Maximum Likelihood (REML) under a linear animal model. The analyses were based on the results of a standardized radiographic examination of 167 SGC horses with a mean age of 14 months. The heritabilities linearly estimated and transformed onto the liability scale were for OC in fetlock joints 0.16 and for OC in hock joints 0.04. Considering fetlock and hock OC together, results in a heritability of 0.17. P...
Bugno M, Słota E.A 5-year-old infertile Hutsul mare was subjected to cytogenetic analysis. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) using the equine Xp and Xq chromosome painting probes was carried out on chromosome preparations obtained after blood lymphocyte culture. These probes were generated by chromosome microdissection and a large number of spreads was analysed (525). The karyotype formula of the analysed mare was 64,XX/65,XX+Xp with the ratio of the two lines being 99.4 and 0.6, respectively. The goal of the study was to apply chromosome microdissection and the FISH technique for cytogenetic diagnosti...
Bakos Z, Vörös K.Since percussion started to be a method forgotten and not trusted by many practitioners, the aim of the study was to demonstrate whether this procedure could deliver exact data if done accurately and by a practised examiner. The trial presented here included 31 healthy warm-blooded horses. Percussion of the area of cardiac dullness and then echocardiographic imaging of the same region were performed. To obtain the relevant measurement points, the 4th and 5th intercostal spaces (ICS) were used on the left and the 4th ICS on the right side. On the left side, the dorsal border of cardiac dullness...
Kruse CJ, Stern D, Mouithys-Mickalad A, Niesten A, Art T, Lemieux H, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy is a seasonal intoxication of grazing equids. In Europe, this poisoning is associated with the ingestion of toxins contained in the seeds and seedlings of the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). The toxins involved in atypical myopathy are known to inhibit ß-oxidation of fatty acids and induce a general decrease in mitochondrial respiration, as determined by high-resolution respirometry applied to muscle samples taken from cases of atypical myopathy. The severe impairment of mitochondrial bioenergetics induced by the toxins may explain the high rate of mortality obs...
Lepczyński A, Ożgo M, Dratwa-Chałupnik A, Robak P, Pyć A, Zaborski D, Herosimczyk A.The main objectives of the study were to: (1) deeply analyse the serum protein composition of Equus caballus, (2) assess the effectiveness of the high-abundant protein depletion and improve the concentration of medium- and low-abundant proteins. The analysis were performed on the blood plasma of three healthy part-Arabian mares. The implementation of two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation - time of flight mass spectrometry allowed us to establish a horse plasma proteome map. Serum proteins were resolved at pH 4 to 7, followed by 12% SDS-PAGE. As a resul...
Trachsel DS, Grenacher B, Weishaupt MA, Schwarzwald CC.Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiovascular biomarker that might be useful in assessing the severity of cardiac disease in horses. Plasma ANP concentrations (Cp(ANP)) were compared between horses with heart disease but normal chamber size and function (Group A; n=6), horses with heart disease associated with left atrial (LA) enlargement, LA dysfunction, and/or left ventricular (LV) enlargement (Group B; n=5), and horses with no clinically apparent cardiovascular disease (Group C; n=13). The median (min-max) for Cp(ANP) was significantly higher in Group B (53.5 (36.0-70.7) pg/mL), comp...
van den Wollenberg L, Butler CM, Houwers DJ, de Grootv MW, Panhuijzen H, van Maanen C, van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) is an emerging infectious enteric disease caused by the obligate intracellular gram-negative bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis. EPE was tentatively diagnosed in six weanling foals, aged between 5 and 7 months. Clinical signs included depression, anorexia, ventral oedema, and weight loss. Plasma biochemistry consistently revealed severe hypoproteinaemia. The ante-mortem diagnosis of EPE was based on clinical signs, hypoproteinaemia (6/6), the detection of moderate-to-high titres of L. intracellularis antibody (6/6), and severe thickening of the small inte...
Pascoe RR.Twelve medicaments were tested for their efficacy in the treatment of Trichophyton equinum var. autotrophicum; povidone iodine, thiabendazole ointment, captan ointment and Burroughs Wellcome Ringworm Ointment gave satisfactory results but their usefulness may be limited for treatment of large numbers of horses. Aqueous washes containing 0.5% hexetidine or 0.3% chloramine-T did not prevent fungi being isolated from lesions for up to 7 days after treatment. Similarly neither etisazole nor thiabendazole suspension prevented fungi from being isolated from lesions for up to 15 days after treatment....
Szeredi L, Hornyák A, Pálfi V, Molnár T, Glávits R, Dénes B.The occurrence of equine arteritis virus (EAV) induced equine abortions was studied with different laboratory methods during a 3-year period. Tissue samples from 96 aborted equine foetuses or newborn foals were collected from 57 farms located in different parts of Hungary. Virus isolation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry and serology were used for the detection of EAV infection. The overall seroprevalence of EAV infection in mares was 65%. EAV induced abortion was diagnosed in eight (8.3%) cases from six (10.5%) herds. Abortion was sporadic in all herds except for one, wh...
Hinden S, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Janda J, Marti EI, Gerber V, Roosje PJ.Recurrent urticaria (RU) is a common skin disease of horses, but little is known about its pathogenesis. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the inflammatory cell infiltrate and cytokine expression pattern in the skin of horses with RU. Methods: Biopsies of lesional and nonlesional skin of horses with RU (n = 8) and of skin from healthy control horses (n = 8) were evaluated. Methods: The inflammatory cell infiltrate was analysed by routine histology. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify T cells (CD3), B ells (CD79), macrophages (MAC387) and mast cells (tryptase). E...
Blikslager AT, Roberts MC.To assess the ability of clinicians to predict the site and type of lesion as well as outcome in horses with colic. Methods: Prospective case study. Methods: 139 horses admitted for evaluation of signs of colic. Methods: Six interns and residents examined horses with colic and predicted the segment of intestine that was affected, the type of lesion, and whether the horse would survive to discharge. Accuracy of prediction of site and type of lesion and survival prediction was compared between the first and second halves of the year, using chi 2 analysis and 95% confidence intervals on sensitivi...
Tschetter JR, Davis WC, Perryman LE, McGuire TC.Eight murine monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were used to identify the equine CD8 alpha or CD8 beta chains and to define the expression of these chains on lymphocytes from various lymphoid tissues. CD8 alpha was a 39 kDa protein and CD8 beta was a 32 kDa protein. Both chains were expressed on most of the CD8+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, spleen, thymus, mesenteric lymph nodes and ileal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), however, in each lymphoid compartment a percentage of lymphocytes expressed only the CD8 alpha chain. The largest percentage of CD8 alpha alpha expressing T lymphocytes w...
Johns IC, Del Piero F, Wilkins PA.An 11-year-old Thoroughbred broodmare was evaluated for suspected hepatic dysfunction. Clinical signs of hepatic encephalopathy were evident at admission. Hepatic ultrasonographic evaluation revealed an increase in hepatic size, rounded borders and normal echogenicity. There was no evidence of cholelithiasis or bile duct distention. Increased activity of hepatic enzymes, increased bile acid and bilirubin concentration and an increased ammonia concentration were supportive of a diagnosis of hepatic disease and hepatic encephalopathy. Histopathological evaluation of a liver biopsy specimen was c...
Pavone S, Sforna M, Gialletti R, Prato S, Marenzoni ML, Mandara MT.A 7-year-old male trotter horse with a history of recurrent colic displayed clinical findings consistent with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP). At laparotomy, an impaction of the descending colon associated with marked atrophy of the right dorsal colon was found. The horse was humanely destroyed and tissues collected at necropsy examination revealed diffuse enteric ganglionitis comprising an infiltrate of CD3(+) T lymphocytes and plasma cells. At all levels of the intestinal tract the number of myenteric ganglia and of normal ganglion cells was decreased significantly. There were ch...
Verwilghen DR, Enzerink E, Martens A, Franck T, Balligand M, Henrotin Y, Detilleux J, Serteyn D.To evaluate the levels of plasmatic and synovial Coll2-1, Coll2-1NO(2) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in horses with osteochondral lesions of the tarsocrural joint and to investigate how these levels relate to arthroscopic findings of inflammation and degeneration. Methods: Venous blood and synovial fluid samples were collected from 63 horses presented for arthroscopic removal of osteochondral fragments in the tarsocrural joint. Prior to removal of the osteochondral fragment, an exploration of the joint was performed and an inflammatory and degenerative score was determined. The blood and synovial ...
Lafortuna CL, Albertini M, Ferrucci F, Zucca E, Braghieri M, Clement MG, Saibene F.A video-laryngoscopic method, implemented with an algorithm for the correction of the deformation inherent in the endoscope optical system, has been used to measure the dorsoventral diameter (Drg) and the cross-sectional area (CSArg) of the rima glottidis in five healthy workhorses during conscious breathing at rest. Simultaneous recording of the respiratory airflow was also obtained in two horses. Drg measured 82.7 +/- 4.5 mm (mean +/- S.D.) independently of the respiratory phase, and did not differ from the measurement in post-mortem anatomical specimens of the same horses. CSArg ranged from...
Redden RF.Understanding the basic mechanisms of hoof capsule distortion enables the clinician to unravel the sometimes complex mix of abnormalities, identify early warning signs, and manage existing problems more effectively. Distortion of the hoof capsule can often seem like a complicated puzzle by the time the veterinarian is called to examine the lame horse. Evaluating each of the components of the hoof capsule, both individually and as an integrated unit, allows the clinician to tease apart the tangle of primary and secondary problems and come up with effective options for countering or attenuating ...
Sanz MG, Villarino N, Ferreira-Oliveira A, Horohov DW.Rhodococcus equi is a common cause of pneumonia in young foals worldwide and has considerable economic effects on the global equine industry. Despite ongoing efforts, no vaccine is currently available to prevent rhodococaal pneumonia. This is due, in part, to an incomplete understanding of the protective immune response to this bacterium. While antibodies to VapA, a lipoprotein produced by virulent R. equi, are useful in differentiating antibody production in response to pathogenic versus non-pathogenic strains, the significance of the humoral response of foals to this lipoprotein remains poor...
Pluim M, Martens A, Vanderperren K, van Weeren R, Oosterlinck M, Dewulf J, Kichouh M, Van Thielen B, Koene MHW, Luciani A, Plancke L, Delesalle C.High-power laser therapy is often used as a treatment for human sport injuries but controlled standardized studies on its efficacy are lacking. The technique has also been introduced in the equine field and recently promising results were reported in a retrospective study focusing on 150 sporthorses suffering from tendinopathy and desmopathy of the SDFT, DDFT, suspensory ligament, and suspensory branches. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of high-power laser in a standardized lesion model in horses. Lesions were created in all lateral suspensory branches of 12 warmblood ...
Gardner AK, van Eps AW, Watts MR, Burns TA, Belknap JK.Supporting limb laminitis (SLL) is a devastating sequela to severe unilateral lameness in equine patients. The manifestation of SLL, which usually only affects one limb, is unpredictable and the etiology is unknown. A novel, non-painful preferential weight bearing model designed to mimic the effects of severe unilateral forelimb lameness was developed to assess lamellar signaling events in the supporting limb (SL). A custom v-shaped insert was attached to the shoe of one forelimb to prevent normal weight bearing and redistribute weight onto the SL. Testing of the insert using a custom scale pl...
Bailly-Chouriberry L, Noguier F, Manchon L, Piquemal D, Garcia P, Popot MA, Bonnaire Y.Recombinant human erythropoietins (rHuEPOs) are glycoproteins drugs, produced by the pharmaceutical industry to restore production of red blood cells by stimulating human bone marrow for which this pathology has been diagnosed. It is suspected that these molecules are diverted as doping agents in horseracing to enhance oxygen transport and aerobic power in racehorses. Although indirect double-blotting or direct liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods have been developed to confirm the presence of rHuEPO in a sample, the short detection time (48 h) is still a problem for doping ...
Nottrott K, De Guio C, Khairoun A, Schramme M.Navicular disease in the horse often requires injection of the navicular bursa. We have developed an ultrasound-guided, lateral needle approach to navicular bursocentesis, which avoids penetration of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and the need for radiographic control. Objective: To describe and evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an ultrasound-guided, lateral bursocentesis technique. Methods: Cadaveric and in vivo experiments. Methods: The navicular bursa in 62 cadaveric forelimbs of 31 horses and in both forelimbs of 26 live horses, positioned with the foot flexed in a navicular ...
Doll CU, von Pueckler K, Offhaus J, Berner D, Burk J.In equine medicine, experience regarding MRI of chronic tendon lesions is limited, and evidence on the suitability of different sequences in 3 T high-field MRI is scarce. Therefore, macroscopically healthy and altered tendons were examined by histology and in 0.27 T low- and 3 T high-field MRI, focusing on T1-weighted (T1w) sequences to visualize chronic lesions. In high-field MRI, tendons were positioned parallel (horizontal) and perpendicular (vertical) to the magnetic field, acknowledging the possible impact of the magic angle effect. The images were evaluated qualitatively and signal inten...
Guthrie AJ, Beadle RE, Bateman RD, White CE.The purpose of this study was to characterize the normal equine tidal breathing flow-volume loop (TBFVL). The study was performed using 18 healthy Thoroughbred horses. TBFVLs constructed from data collected from resting horses had a typical biphasic inspiratory and expiratory phase. The interindividual variability of the indices used to describe TBFVLs was in the range 16-32%, which is comparable to the variability of other measures of equine pulmonary mechanics. The large variability of these data probably limits the value of resting TBFVL indices for detecting subclinical respiratory conditi...
Nürnberger S, Rentenberger C, Thiel K, Schädl B, Grunwald I, Ponomarev I, Marlovits S, Meyer C, Barnewitz D.The present study reports for the first time the presence of giant crystals in mitochondria of equine chondrocytes. These structures show dark contrast in TEM images as well as a granular substructure of regularly aligned 1-2 nm small units. Different zone axes of the crystalline structure were analysed by means of Fourier transformation of lattice-resolution TEM images proving the crystalline nature of the structure. Elemental analysis reveals a high content of nitrogen referring to protein. The outer shape of the crystals is geometrical with an up to hexagonal profile in cross sections. It ...
Farag AMM, Ibrahim HMM.The current study was undertaken to investigate the effect of intravenous administration of ondansetron on the small and large intestinal motility in donkeys (Equus asinus) using non-invasive transabdominal ultrasonography. The current prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted on thirty healthy donkeys (15 males and 15 females). The selected donkeys underwent two trials; the first was performed by intravenous administration of saline solution as a placebo, while the second was carried out by intravenous administration of ondansetron hydrochloride. The contracti...
Schwab U, Caldwell S, Matychak MB, Felippe J.We developed a 3-D equine bronchial epithelial cell (BEC) culture that fully differentiates into ciliary beating and mucus producing cells. Using this system, we evaluated how mucus affects the phagocytic activity of macrophages. Adult horse monocyte-derived macrophages were incubated with Rhodococcus equi for 4h either in the mucus layer of in vitro generated airway epithelium or on collagen coated membranes. Using light and electron microscopy, we noted that the number of macrophages with intracellular bacteria, and the number of intracellular bacteria per macrophage were lower in the presen...
Dillmann JB, Cossetin LF, de Giacometi M, Oliveira D, de Matos AFIM, Avrella PD, Garlet QI, Heinzmann BM, Monteiro SG.The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus 1758), is a hematophagous fly responsible for causing loss of performance in horses, causing losses in cattle productivity, and impacting the animals' health through the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. The objective of this work was to investigate the insecticidal activity of essential oil obtained from Melaleuca alternifolia (Cheel), presenting high 1,8-cineole content, against S. calcitrans adults. Insecticidal activity was determined using surface application methods and exposure to oil impregnated paper. It was observed that treatments at ...
Studdert MJ, Fitzpatrick DR, Horner GW, Westbury HA, Gleeson LJ.Representative strains of EHV isolated from an aborted foetus and from a horse with rhinopneumonitis in New Zealand had restriction endonuclease DNA fingerprints typical of those usually associated with these syndromes elsewhere and now designated EHV1 and 4 respectively. EHV1 was isolated from the brain and spinal cord of a 4-year-old gelding that died of myeloencephalitis. A mare on the same farm, at about the same time as the gelding developed myeloencephalitis, aborted and EHV1 was isolated from the tissues of the aborted foetus. Restriction endonuclease DNA fingerprints of the viruses iso...
Engle CC, Foley CW.Uterine tubal fluids were collected twice a day from mares for 5 consecutive estrous cycles between March 15 and September 1. Follicular fluids were aspirated from the follicles of exteriorized ovaries of 3 mares between days 2 and 5 of estrus. Uterine tubal fluid and follicular fluid were analyzed for osmolarity, dry matter, total lipids, total free fatty acids, glucose, fructose, and lactic acid. Blood samples were collected (jugular venipuncture) throughout the estrous cycle, and the same physical and biochemical analyses were made on blood plasma. A difference (P less than 0.01) was found ...
Mazerbourg S, Zapf J, Bar RS, Brigstock DR, Monget P.We recently showed that insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4) proteolytic degradation in ovine preovulatory ovarian follicles is IGF-dependent and regulated by the heparin-binding domain (HBD) from IGFBP-3 and from connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), heparan/heparin-interacting protein (HIP), and vitronectin. The present study investigated regulation of IGFBP-4 proteolytic degradation in porcine, bovine, and equine ovarian preovulatory follicles. Follicular fluid from such preovulatory follicles contains proteolytic activity, degrading exogenous IGFBP-4. An excess of IGF-I...
Matsumura Y, Li J, Ikeguchi M, Kihara H.Acidic buffer conditions are known to stabilize helix-rich states of even those proteins with a predominantly beta-sheet native secondary structure. Here we investigated whether such states also exist under alkaline buffer conditions. The guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl)-induced unfolding transition and kinetic refolding of equine beta-lactoglobulin (ELG) by GuHCl-jump were investigated at pH 8.7 by far-ultraviolet circular dichroism. We found that an equilibrium intermediate appeared in 45% ethylene glycol (EGOH) buffer with 1.5 M GuHCl. The intermediate is rich in non-native alpha-helix, whic...
Piquette GN, Kenney RM, Sertich PL, Yamoto M, Hsueh AJ.The association of equine granulosa-theca cell tumors with atrophied contralateral ovaries and abnormal estrous cycles suggests that these tumors produce hormones that affect pituitary gonadotropin production. Because inhibin, a heterodimer protein secreted by granulosa cells, decreases FSH production, we examined the presence of inhibin alpha- and beta A-subunits and their mRNAs in ovarian tumors obtained from three mares. These tumors contained neoplastic cords and nodules, multiple fluid-filled cysts, and a predominance of neoplastic granulosa cells. Reduced proteins from tumor-conditioned ...
